The advantage of virtualization is that it lets administrators put virtual machines anywhere in the cloud. The disadvantage of virtualization is that unless secured they can be copied by anyone and taken anywhere.

HyTrust Inc. which makes virtualization and cloud security solutions, believes it has taken a step closer to closing the doors on the problem

The Mountain View, Calf., company already makes Cloud Control for giving policy and audit control over administrative operators for virtual environments, and Data Control for encrypting VMs.

But on Tuesday it will announce Cloud Control 4.0, to be released at the end of the month, will include the ability to set boundary controls, which leverages the latest location identification capability in Intel Xeon CPUs with Trusted Execution Technology (TXT).

Briefly, because TXT can identify where hosts are, it means IT administrators can use HyTrust software to set policies on where VMs can reside, be encypted and decrypted.

“We’ve inherently solved what is the biggest (security) issue around virtualization, which is portability” with Boundary Control, Eric Chiu, president and co-founder of HyTrust, said in an interview.

First, a little background: Since Intel introduced TXT some four years ago, it makes sure when physical servers boot their BIOS and hypervisors haven’t been tampered with. Cloud Control uses that information for the setting of security policies by tagging physical and virtual hosts. Data Control extends protection with encryption.

With the ability now to set physical boundary controls on VMs by reading the new information in TXT. administrators can go one step further. In Cloud Control Chiu said, “we can then enforce policy to say ‘German VMs can only run on a German located host, classified data can only run on a classified host.or virtual machines with my intellectual property can only run within my four walls — you can’t copy that machine and spin it up in Amazon.’

Through Data Control, administrators can set policy to allow data to be decrypted in approved locations.

Formed almost seven years ago, HyTrust’s investors include Intel, VMware and Cisco Systems Inc. Not surprisingly, Cloud and Data Control are sold through VCE Inc., the partnership between the trio for selling converged stacks of server, storage and networking solutions.

It also sells through Symantec (which white labels its solutions) and Intel’s McAfee division.

Organizations can also buy it through system integrators. In Canada, one of them is Ottawa’s Northern Micro.

Chiu said HyTrust wants to extend its presence here and recently hired a Toronto-based sales director.

Currently a freelance writer, I'm the former editor of ITWorldCanada.com and Computing Canada. An IT journalist since 1997, I've written for several of ITWC's sister publications including ITBusiness.ca and Computer Dealer News. Before that I was a staff reporter at the Calgary Herald and the Brampton (Ont.) Daily Times.